I was swamped with home improvement projects last week, so my letter to
Real Stupid...oops, I mean Real Simple had to wait for this week.  I tried
to keep it simple by including only one or two points and avoiding the
excellent information already provided to Real Simple by wiser members of
Lactnet in their letters last week.  I will post the response if it is not
the same infuriating form letter.

Warmly,

Charity


----
I was shocked and saddened to see breastfeeding included in the article “20
Time Wasting Rules to Break Now” in the August 2003 edition of Real
Simple.   Breastfeeding rates in the United States have been steadily
rising since the 1970’s due to the overwhelming scientific research
illustrating that formula feeding has measurable negative health, economic,
and developmental consequences for individuals, and our culture.  Women who
want to breastfeed are not “blindly following…ironclad conventional wisdom
whose time has come and gone;” they are making an informed health and
safety choice.  To imply otherwise, is to doubt the intelligence of these
women and belittle the effort it takes some women to breastfeed with less
than ideal support from family, friends and employers.

I suspect that your inclusion of breastfeeding in this list was to help
alleviate the grief and guilt many breastfeeding mothers feel when they
terminate the breastfeeding relationship with their child due to
overwhelming outside pressure from uninformed and unsupportive people like
Dr. Petrikovsky.  I doubt very highly that the inclusion of breastfeeding
in this list made women feel better about their situation.  Mothers would
have an easier time finding support if the writers and editors of Real
Simple highlighted the very real risks of formula feeding instead of
stating that breastfeeding is a “waste of time.”  Family members and
friends who could provide support for breastfeeding mothers by helping with
household chores, running important errands and caring for older children
read your magazine; individuals in a position to support breastfeeding
mothers at work by providing longer maternity leave, flexible work hours,
and space in the work place to pump and store breastmilk read your
magazine.  Demeaning breastfeeding by calling it a “waste of time” and
comparing it to “drinking red wine with fish,” does not help breastfeeding
women.  It serves to strengthen barriers for women in the workplace and at
home by making it even more difficult to find the support they need to have
a satisfying breastfeeding relationship.

I will no longer be purchasing your magazine.

Sincerely,

Charity M. Pitcher-Cooper BSN, RN
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